Josef Silverstein, a scholar and outspoken critic of Myanmar’s repressive military leaders over a turbulent half-century, died June 29 at his home in Guilford, CT. He was 99.

Professor Silverstein, who taught international relations and Southeast Asian studies at Rutgers University, focused on democracy and human rights in Myanmar both as an academic expert and as an on-the-ground adviser to opposition groups.

Professor Silverstein’s publications include the books The Political Legacy of Aung San (1972), Burmese Politics: The Dilemma of National Unity (1980), and Burma: Military Rule and the Politics of Stagnation (1977).